Spindle-driving mechanism for mules.



PATENTED DEC. 3, 1907.

W. D'. RUNDLETT. SPINDLB DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MULES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 11, 1906.

THE NnRRIs PETERS co 'wasnmcron l, b. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM D. RUNDLETT, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVIS & FURBER MACHINE COMPANY, OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORA- TION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

SPINDLE-DRIVING MECHANISM FOR MULES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 3, 1907.

Application filed May 11. 1906. Serial No. 316,288,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM D. RUND- LETT, a citizen of the United States, residing in North Andover, county of Essex, and

State of Massachusetts, have invented andriven at a fast and slow speed, the rim shaft having belt pulleys of the same diameter, and capable of being driven by the same belt, the latter being shifted from one to the other belt pulley in any usual manner when it is desired to change the speed at which the rim band is to be moved to turn the spindle-driving drum faster during twisting than when the carriage is being moved outwardly to draw or stretch the yarn. In this class of mule, difliculty has been experienced in causing the rim band to be seated properly in the groove, first to be entered by said band, of the grooved wheel fast on the shaft carrying the spindle-driving drum, causing the slipping of said band in the driving groove, resulting in unduly wearing the band. It will be understood that the band is being pulled when it enters the first groove of said wheel, the b and being then passed about said wheel and led downwardly about a grooved idlewheel, and slack is formed in said band between the point where it first contacts with said wheel and the source of power driving said band and the slack part of said band, fails to enter to its proper depth the first groove of said wheel, and consequently the slight additional speed. imparted to the rope results in said rope slipping in the driving groove subsequently entered by said band after passing over and while being brought in contact with said driving wheel.

To prevent the slipping of the band on the grooved driving wheel, and cause the same to cling to said wheel snugly as soon as the band enters the first'groove, I have deepened the two band grooves with which said band first contacts and I have designated the deepened grooves by the term drag producing grooves as the deepening 'of the grooves reduces their circumferential velocity and acts as a drag on the bands as they contact first with the grooved wheel, the drag putting the rim band immediately under tension from the time that it comes onto said grooved wheel until it leaves the same, the contact being so close and intimate as to prevent any slipping of the rim band on said grooved wheel, the firm contact of the rim band with said grooved pulley insuring that the spindles start immediately when the band is started, it being understood that when the spindles do not start as soon as the rim band is-started, that the ends are liable to be wound on the point of the spindle or bobbin, thus breaking the ends, so the starting of the spindles, when the rim band is started, is a matter of vital importance. So also, it will be understood, when the carriage is being run in, and the yarn is being wound on the spindles, that the spindles turn in the same direction as when the carriage is running out and the yarn is being drawn, the spindles and spindle-driving drum being rotated during winding of the yarn thereon by the usual Winding mechanism, and at this time the varying depth of the grooves in the grooved wheel referred to effects a tightened condition of the rim band in said grooves, and puts the rim band in a condition for positively starting the s indles at the commencement of the outwar run of'the carriage.

The special features in which my invention consists will be set forth at the end of the specification. M

Figure 1 is a diagrammatical figure showing part of a carriage, band pulleys, and means for actuating the bands to rotate the spindle-driving drum; Fig. 2 is a plan view i sh owing the grooved band pulleys and wheel,

and sheaves, disassociated from the carriage and the head stock; Fig. 3 is a detail showing part of the rim band shaft, auxiliary shaft with the slow speed band pulley coupled thereon, together with the fast speed band pulley and its belt driven pulley, the hubs of said pulleys being in section; Fig. 4

is a detail in longitudinal section of the' grooved wheel carried by the shaft of the drum band shaft; and Fig. 5 is a detail showing one end of the auxiliary shaft detached.

In the drawings, A represents an outline view of a carriage, A the spindle-driving drum fast on a shaft A A a grooved idle wheel running loosely on a stud A suitably sustained in the carriage, A an idle pulley mounted loosely on a stud A also sustained by the carriage.

B represents a grooved pulley turning loosely in a stand secured to the floor at a point beyond the outward run of the carriage.

B represents a grooved Wheel running loosely on a shaft B and immediately above it is a smaller grooved wheel B mounted loosely on a stud B, and B represents part of the head stock of the mule.

The parts so far described and designated by letter are andmay be all as usual in mules now on the market.

I will now describe my invention.

Instead of the usual grooved Wheel mounted on the spindle drum driving shaft A I have devised a wheel C in which the grooves c first to receive the band a to be described later, are deeper than the grooves c entered as the band contacts a second time with said Wheel. Fig. 4 shows this wheel in section, and the difference in depth of the band grooves is therein clearly defined. The band 0 is always moved in the direction of the arrow thereon, excepting during the slight time that the spindles are being rotated backwardly for backing off. It is essential, as stated, that there be no slip or slack driving of the spindles by the band, and to insure that the band, when started, starts immediately the shaft A to start the rotation of the spindles, the band as it contacts first with the wheel 0 is made to enter the deeper groove that acts instantly as a drag, preventing any slipping of the portion of the band passing from the groove 0 about the grooved wheel A and back again through the grooves c..

This action is more fully described in the statement of invention.

From the groove 0 of the grooved wheel C the band runs under the grooved wheel A then over the wheel B, and thence towards the head stock, under the wheel B contacting therewith for about 90, thence about the slow speed grooved pulley (1 over and about said pulley, under the wheel B, thenceupwardly and under the fast speed grooved pulley e thence over and down about said pulley and again under the wheel B, back up and over the wheel B and thence to the grooved wheel C.

I have illustrated my invention with double bands, but the same is not limited to the use of a double band, as a single band might be employed and wound properly about the wheels and pulleys referred to, but by the tially illustrated, has bearings f to sustain the rim band shaft F, and other bearings f to sustain a second shaft F in alinement therewith, said shafts having the same axial center. The shafts F, F, have at their adjacent ends, which nearly abut, as shown in the drawings, like flanges 2 and circular bosses or projections 3. The bosses are of such diameter and shape as to receive upon them the hub of the slow speed band driving grooved wheel d, said hub having a hole of a size to substantially fit the peripheries of said bosses and said wheel is coupled to said shafts between said flanges in suitable manner as by stud screws 4 inserted through holes in one of the flanges through holes in the hub of said wheel, and entering a threaded hole of the other flange. has secured to it by set screw (1 the hub of a belt pulley (Z and when said belt pulley is rotated, the shaft F and the wheel (Z are rotated, the pulley d effecting the slow driving of the band. On the shaft F between the pulley d and the flange 2 at the end of said shaft 1 have mounted the hub of the grooved pulley e employed for driving the band at its fastest speed, and on an extension of the hub of said pulley, I have secured a belt pulley e. The diameters of the pulley d and e are the same, so that they may be driven by one and the same belt directly from any power shaft, and by shifting the belt from one to the other pulley in usual manner, the band may be driven either at its fast or slow speed.

Heretofore, whenever it is necessary to change the ratio of the fast and slow speed movement of the band according to different classes of work to be done, it has been necessary to remove the driving shaft from The shaft F its bearing, and take off the pulleys, and" wheels thereon, but by employing with the rim band F an auxiliary shaft F, said shafts having the same longitudinal axis, and the shaft F having slight longitudinal play in its bearing, it becomes possible to remove the stud screws 4 and immediately replace the slow speed pulley dthen in use with a pulley of any other diameter. The provision of readily substituting a pulley of one size for a pulley of another size, is a matter of very great convenience in a mule, and saves very much time and labor, and the capability of being able to make this change readily insures that the operator will be more careful to see that the pulley (Z is of the proper diameter with relation to the pulley e in producing the results required by' the manufacturer. When very considerable tlme is required to effect the change, an

operator is apt not to make the change, and the results required in the yarn are not forthcoming. The shaft F in practice will have connected with it usual gears for effecting the drawing out of the carriage.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a mule, a rim-band shaft provided with a driving pulley, a bearing for said shaft, a slow-speed rim-band pulley, a second shaft in alinement with said rim-band shaft, bearings slidably sustaining said second shaft, and means for connectin said shafts and fixing said slow-speed pu lley thereto whereby by disconnecting said shafts and sliding one of them in its bearing said slowspeed pulley may be changed while said shafts remain in their bearings.

2. In a mule, a rim-band shaft provided with a driving pulley, a bearing for said shaft, a second shaft in alinement therewith, a bearing in which said second shaft is slidably mounted, a slow-speed pulley externally grooved to receive a band and interposed between the contiguous ends of said shafts, and means for uniting the hub of said pulley to both of-said shafts, said means connecting said shafts.

3. In a mule, a rim-band shaft provided with a driving pulley and having at one end a flange, a bearing for said shaft, a second shaft in alinement with said rim-band shaft and having a flange, a bearing in which said second shaft is slidably mounted, a slow speed pulley having its hub interposed between the flanges of said shafts, and means to secure the hub of said pulley between said flanges whereby when said second shaft is slid in its bearings said slow speed pulley may be readily disconnected from said shaft to enable a slow speed pulley of another diameter to be readily interposed between said flanges without removing the shafts from their bearings.

4. In a mule, a rim-band shaft provided with a,driving pulley and having at one end a flange provided with a boss, a bearing for said shaft, a second shaft in alinement with said rim-band shaft, said second shaft having a flange and'a boss extended therefrom, a bearing in which said second shaft is slidably mounted, a slow-speed pulley interposed between the flanges of said shafts and having a hole in its hub to fit said bosses, and means to connect said flanges and the hub of said wheel retaining said bosses in the hub of said wheel.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name'to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM D. RUNDLETT.

Witnesses:

Gno. W. GREGORY, EvANGELiNE 0. BROWN. 

